Tamandai community laments poor road network

The Tamandai community has appealed for help to rehabilitate the road and complete a bridge linking the border area shopping centre to the greater Chipinge.

Tamandai Shopping Centre at the border with Mozambique remains secluded from other parts of Chipinge, especially during the rainy season with buses reportedly having shunned using the route 15 years ago.

Farmers, business persons and villagers say poor road network and failure to complete the bridge whose construction started in the 1960s has made the road impassable during the rainy season while the presence of crocodiles at an alternative low crossing bridge exposes people, especially school children, to a known danger.

They say with economic activities in the area buoyed by high agricultural production, the district and the country can benefit a lot from the rehabilitation of the road.

“We appeal for help to rehabilitate our road and complete construction of a bigger bridge that was left incomplete during the 1960s. The rainy season usually brings headaches to farmers, business persons and villagers who want to go to Chipinge or other places as the road is usually impassable,” said one of the villagers.

Despite the poor road network, there is life at Tamandai Business Centre with persistent individuals and locals being able to enjoy a unique experience at the border shopping centre that was also a popular crossing point used by freedom fighters crossing into Mozambique.